From Spacing magazine to ﬂying kites sky high, Dave Meslin is involved in this city, and thinks you should be, too

Dave Meslin is probably one degree of separation from every engaged citizen in Toronto. At just 35, he can lay claim to starting up the Toronto Cyclists Union, the Toronto Public Space Committee, Spacing and Dandyhorse magazines, the City Idol competition in 2006 and this year’s Better Ballots campaign, as well as helping to kick-start Not Far From The Tree, a non-profit that picks excess fruit from residential trees in the GTA and distributes it back into the community.

“I don’t think I could live in this city if I wasn’t involved in initiatives to make it better,” Meslin explains.

He’s not kidding. The self-described “community choreographer” was also part of the Adbusters-inspired billboard liberation front a few years ago, helped the Sierra Club organize Toronto’s first Car-Free Day and spearheaded the city’s Reclaim The Streets initiative in 1998.

You know those stencils of Bill Murray, Bill Cosby, Bill Clinton and Bill Gates that appear near “Post No Bills” signs at local construction sites? He’s behind those, too.

Oh, and just for fun, he’s a member of local indie-rock band The Hidden Cameras.

But because he doesn’t have quite enough on his plate, Meslin is now co-editing a book by Coach House Press on achieving civic engagement in Toronto, as well as organizing WindFest, the city’s first waterfront kite festival, in order to raise awareness about alternative energy sources. It’s slated to happen at Woodbine Beach on Oct. 2.

“This kite thing has been in my head for a few years,” he says, during a recent interview in Trinity Bellwoods Park. “I think people come up with great ideas all the time, but they tend to laugh it off or get distracted by work and life. I’m just stubborn enough to go through with them.”

Going through with the kite festival involved teaming up with the Toronto Kite Fliers Association, the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-op (TREC) and the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, as well as soliciting green-minded sponsors such as Mountain Equipment Co-op.

He’s still in the process of officially naming it, but otherwise, plans are moving along steadily — the only unpredictable factor is the weather. Meslin is really hoping it doesn’t rain on the afternoon of Oct. 2 (on the day of our interview, it starts to pour, but he embraces the sudden shower while graciously covering the tape recorder with both hands).

“I guess people could use their kites as umbrellas,” he says, “but that might not be as fun.”

At this moment, Linda Varekamp, a representative from TREC, shows up with her two-handled kite — Meslin has asked her, as well as a few others involved with the event, to join him for the photo shoot. He insists that team members pose alongside him for these things, presumably to reinforce the fact that his projects are not solo efforts.

And why would they be, when Meslin is so well-connected to talented, influential Torontonians who know how to turn his ideas into realities? He may not have a Rolodex with the mayor’s home phone number, but he does boast 2,834 friends on Facebook, which means he can instantly connect with journalists, politicians or even just the average cyclist.

This has helped immensely with his Better Ballots initiative, which seeks to reform Toronto’s current electoral process.

“We have a real barrier in the system that essentially pushes out new faces, perpetuates the status quo and helps incumbents win even if most of their constituents don’t want them back,” Meslin says. “This means that 14 councillors won in 2006 with less than 50% of the vote.”

He used a recent tour with The Hidden Cameras to research voting processes in cities across North America; when he came back, Meslin organized a town hall survey and mayoral forum on the subject, and is now actively trying to ensure that so-called “fringe candidate” Rocco Achampong is included in all upcoming debates.

But for those who know Meslin, the real question is whether or not he will ever run for mayor.

“I don’t think so,” he says. “Maybe for councillor, but I wouldn’t run under our current voting system. … For now, I’m getting more accomplished outside of City Hall than I could from within, and I’m having more fun.”